Deer, Mole Hills and Puncture Weeds

I went out to let the chickens out of their coop this morning and noticed that the moles had been active during the night and had built up a number of new mole hills. I was even more amazed that all the hills were outside my fence. 

I laughed and was so grateful that they had listened to me when I asked them not to make any mole hills in my lawn this year.  ...  I made a deal with them, I said, If you will stay out of the lawn and not tear up my yard, I will leave you alone and not trap you. It was a simple request, no elaborate ceremony or demand, just an agreement between neighbors.

I am surprised when some are so upset when the animals or native species in an area do what they do naturally. We are the ones who have encroached on their homes. We are the settlers who have built our homes, sometimes without regard to the locals, in areas that we deem as ours. 

I also made a deal this year with the weeds in my garden. I stood in my newly tilled soil and decided I was not going to be a slave to the weeds. I would allow the natural process of nature to take place. I made them an offer. I said, “Weeds, I will allow you to stay here in my garden if you will not grow any taller than the vegetables that I am growing here.” There were a few that didn’t listen, but for the rest, they followed my offer. There were weeds, but the vegetables flourished in spite of the weeds. I had much more freedom to do what I wanted and there was no struggle with pulling every weed that grew.

I just finished harvesting my garden this fall, I had plenty for me and enough to share with friends. The moles stayed out of my grass, I had some mole hills in the garden, but they did not harm to the vegetables. 

The deer are now in my yard, they are eating the apples and pears that fell on the ground. I left some for them knowing that they had been doing this for many years. They are beautiful to watch and as they effortlessly leap over my fence, I send them my love and invite them back whenever they are in the neighborhood. The sunflowers that I grew are still standing, food for the birds when the weather gets colder.

I feel good about my neighbors, I honor them and they honor me. I am grateful that I did not have to make a mountain out of a mole hill. I did not have to spray with poisons, or cuss with anger, or spend countless hours weeding, I was able to see life for what it had offered me. An opportunity to find balance in all things.

The puncture weeds? I am still working that out with them. They have an unfair advantage, they seem to be countless. Most of them are outside the fence, they get stuck in my shoes when I have to go out, but I stop at the gate and pull them out before entering the yard. When I looked up Goat head weeds, I found some interesting things, they are hard to kill with natural methods. I tried to burn them. It seemed to make them mad and they doubled their efforts to grow. One method for control is to plant other grasses or plants in their space, they don’t like competition and will die out. Another method is to ingest them.  ...  Yes, eat them. They produce a mild aphrodisiac effect. That may be my answer to getting rid of the goat head weeds. With all the hype of the media and the “ask your doctor” ads on TV, maybe I should take out my own advertisement.  NOTICE: IF YOU ARE LIMPING ALONG IN YOUR LOVE LIFE, CALL ME. I HAVE THE ANSWER. note:  BRING YOUR OWN HOE     1-800-GOAT-HEAD